SSL Certificates are a hot topic and there’s a good reason why! If you’re not using one yet, you should consider it soon, Google announced the move toward secure websites in February 2018. SSL Certificates are a standard in the real estate website industry and every agent should get one now. Read on to learn more about IDXCentral’s free SSL Certificate option and how we can assist you.

So what exactly is an SSL Certificate?
Without getting too technical, “SSL” or “Secure Sockets Layer” is all about security. It’s the moment your browser shakes hands with the website you’re visiting, the SSL Certificate is the green light that tells your browser the website you’re viewing is safe and your data isn’t being siphoned into the unknown for all to read – instead, all data is encrypted and secure. For real estate websites, an SSL certificate can enhance the safety of your leads and help them feel confident in sharing their personal contact information in exchange for your hot listings or market report data.

Wait, do I really need an SSL Certificate?
Yes you do! While it’s not the end of the world if your website isn’t using one, consider this, Google uses it as a ranking signal so it’s better to be safe than sorry. You should do everything you can to help increase your optimization and beat out the competition. You don’t want to risk scaring leads away with the “Not Secure” message some browsers display on non-SSL compliant sites? Look at SSL Certificates as a way to begin building trust and integrity with your new lead. Here’s “Why” in a nutshell:

Another benefit of having an SSL certificate installed is the SEO improvement in rankings that your site will get. In line with their HTTPS everywhere initiative, Google gives websites with encrypted connections a slight rankings boost. Although the boost may not be substantial, having an SSL will give you an advantage over your competitors who don’t have certificates yet.
– Ivailo Nikolov, Forbes

How can I get a free SSL Certificate?
Whether you already have a WordPress real estate website with us or are just getting started, IDXCentral offers free SSL Certificates. If we are already hosting your website, we can generate an SSL Certificate for FREE – contact us to get started.

Will you add the SSL Certificate to the site for me?
If you are getting a new site from us the set up is free since we can set it up more easily from the get-go. If you have an older site that we are hosting there is work involved in making the website AND the IDX Solution 100% compliant. Just having the certificate installed is not always enough to get the padlock of approval to appear, and this can vary when it comes to the IDX and MLS connected to the site. The average charge is $50-$100 and takes 5 – 7 business days to complete – contact us to get started.

Need a website that includes an SSL Certificate?
IDXCentral (Moineau Design) has been designing real estate websites for over 20 years and specialize in WordPress real estate websites along with IDX sales and integration. Best of all, when you get a website through us you own the site so all your time, money and energy that you invest stays with you. Learn more about what we can do for you.

The competition among real estate agents and brokers is heating up, and the best real estate websites of 2018 reflect that in design, ease of use, and lightning fast speeds. Todays top real estate websites use a responsive website design and IDX, include beautiful photos, hyper-local market area reports, lead capture forms, numerous call-to-action buttons, indexable listings, one-click searches, and so much more. Our WordPress real estate designs feature all of the above including custom WordPress features you won’t find anywhere else.

We’ve curated a collection of the best real estate websites of 2018 for your review below, but before we dive in, have you considered why leads gravitate to larger portal sites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com in the first place? It’s the same reason that buyers love using the best real estate websites of 2018 to search listings, they get hooked on a fun, fast, and functional search experience with minimal clicking required. In the past, agents and brokers struggled to compete with the portal-quality search experience provided by larger websites, but that has changed! Look out for agent and broker websites featuring Eureka in 2018 and beyond, it’s the next best thing to a traditional IDX, just check out the Eureka IDX demo and contact us for more info, your future site could be one of the best real estate websites of 2019.

Shopping for the best real estate website solution?
The best real estate websites of 2018 are all about the consumer, lead generation is key with new portal quality IDX Solutions, automated market reports with reliable and relevant data, and attractive designs suitable for mobile and desktop browsing. If you’re not 100% happy with your current website or you’re just getting started with your first website, contact us! 2019 is just around the corner and our original WordPress real estate designs are built to help you stay ahead of the competition.

IDXCentral has been designing real estate websites for 20+ years and specialize in WordPress real estate websites – from affordable semi-custom themes to fully custom site designs. We include investment protection with full client-website ownership, allowing our clients to ensure they’ll be using the best real estate websites of 2018 well into the next year and beyond! Give us a call for a free consultation to find out how we can become an important ally in your real estate business venture.

Choosing from dozens of differing IDX Solutions can be overwhelming, so let the IDX experts point you in the right direction. After twenty years of hands-on IDX integration, we’ve narrowed it down to two of the best. Their proven track record, continued innovation and advanced IDX features are what make these two stand out. Read on to learn about the best IDX Plugins for WordPress real estate websites.

What is IDX?
IDX is the property search on a website, it connects to an MLS (What is IDX?) which allows your leads to search every property on the market while featuring your own listings first. Leads can sign up for new listing alert emails, save favorite listings, save favorite searches and more! And the best part, it’s all on YOUR website so you retain and nurture each lead.

IDX works via broker reciprocity, historically REALTORS® got together and agreed that sharing listings benefited the industry as a whole. When you add a listing through your MLS portal, that listing is auto-populated onto your website through the IDX (Internet Data Exchange), sometimes in as little as 15 minutes later.

What are the Biggest Benefits of an IDX Solution?
Not all IDX solutions are created equal. The best IDX solutions :

Offer a safe place for visitors to search for listings and all leads to go you

Have a responsive design and is mobile friendly

Displays the latest listings to hit the market, faster than Zillow Offer new listing notifications and automatic market reports

These are some of best ways to use an advanced IDX search to attract and gain new leads. The two IDX solutions we profile below offer powerful features to help you succeed online and beat out the competition. They continue to grow, invent and serve the demands of today’s savvy buyers and sellers.

iHomefinder’s Optima Express (with Market Reports!)
Founded in 1997 and headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, iHomefinder’s team has a top-notch IDX with consistent improvements that keep the system competitive. Their years of knowledge and familiarity translates into an IDX that is user-friendly, feature rich, with large, stunning photos and professional IDX display pages. iHomefinder has several options for single-agents or teams. Pricing starts at $49.95 mo. with mapping or $39.95 mo. without mapping.

Additional features can be added at anytime, like MarketBoost’s automated hyper-local market reports, Eureka IDX a new portal-quality Zillowesque property search with a huge map and large listing photos all on one search page, and a robust team management CRM. Inquire with us to find out if your MLS is covered and for a free consultation.

Here’s a quick list of just some of the iHomefinder features we find essential:

IDX Broker’s Platinum IDX Solution
IDX Broker, established in 2004, has been working hard to provide a customizable IDX with room to grow. Their talented team strives to share their knowledge and passion for IDX. In a recent interview, IDX Broker CEO Chad Barczak reflected on the changes the Real Estate market has experienced over the years and how IDX has become the mainstay of smart, successful REALTORS®. Pricing starts at $39.99 mo. for Lite IDX (without a polygon search tool) or $59.99 mo. for Platinum IDX which includes a polygon search.

IDX Broker is the perfect solution for sellers of land, lots, farm, ranches, rentals, or other niche property types as they include advanced search fields for ALL property types. When you purchase through IDXCentral, you get our styled IDX Broker search pages (not the out-of-the-box experience) so inquire with us to find out if your MLS is covered and a free consultation. We love how beautifully the IDX incorporates into our WordPress real estate websites.

With so many great options to explore, here’s a quick list of our favorite IDX Broker features:

How To Get Started With IDX
Talk to the experts! Here at Moineau Design, IDXCentral.com, we have extensive experience implementing and customizing the iHomefinder and IDX Broker solutions for real estate WordPress websites. We have over 20 years of experience and have served over 3,000 real estate professionals.

iHomefinder’s Eureka IDX solution is the advanced portal-quality MLS search that’s leveling the playing field. Now agents and Brokers can offer a similar search to that of top portal sites like Zillow, Trulia, and Redfin with Eureka IDX solution. This the latest and maybe the most advanced IDX plugin for WordPress real estate websites – let’s review.

“Until now, most agents and brokerages couldn’t provide an experience on par with the major search portals. This proves especially troubling when agents purchase leads from Zillow, send them to their sites and then offer a poor search experience,” said Brett DeSchepper, President of iHomefinder. “Eureka fills the gap by offering a well-designed, mobile-first search experience that keeps visitors engaged on agents’ sites.”

Some homebuyers and sellers begin searching on these massive portal sites like Zillow, but once they get familiar with those search tools, they may find the IDX on your site more difficult to navigate (Learn about What is IDX?). iHomefinder’s Eureka IDX solution changes the game by bridging the gap between IDX and portals, giving leads an intuitive portal quality search with a customer friendly, simple interface. It’s the latest, and maybe the most advanced IDX plug-in for WordPress real estate websites – our area of expertise. Let’s review some of the new features of the iHomefinder Eureka IDX solution.

View Eureka IDX Live Demo
Homebuyers can begin their search using a universal search bar with inputs for locations such as cities, neighborhoods, subdivisions, school districts, etc. as well as addresses and MLS IDs. The results page and map search are fully integrated, with a large map on the left and listings with large scrollable photos on the right, and everything is responsive so mobile users have equal ease of use to that of desktop users. This is crucial to landing new leads as 60% and more of homebuyers primarily use only a mobile device to search.

Pricing, home address, number of beds and baths, square footage, listing status, and a full gallery of photos can be seen for each listing immediately from the results page. It’s so easy to use and review results, your leads won’t have any reason to return to Zillow or Redfin. But if you’re wavering on how important it really is to have an IDX search on your site (I mean, leads can just go back to Zillow right?) think of this – the competition! You don’t want other agents and brokers appearing as advertisements while your leads are searching, if they find the listing of their dreams YOU need to be the one to get their contact info and the Eureka IDX solution will help you do just that.

Leads can save searches and you’ll be able to track what searches your homebuyers are performing and which listings they’re saving as favorites. While this was already part of Optima IDX, the new Eureka IDX is more inviting, if not a little addicting. This thoughtful and easy to use design makes searching enticing for both techy homebuyers looking for a first home and seasoned buyers – a must have for today’s cutting edge real estate websites!

Eureka IDX solution also includes MarketBoost, if you’re not familiar with this popular iHomefinder option, check out our iHomefinder MarketBoost Review to learn more about automated market reports and view this example market report on our WordPress theme called Phoenix. MarketBoost saves you money and time with automated, up-to-date market information and it also makes you look like a local expert in the areas you focus on. MarketBoost will keep your clients informed on current conditions and notify them of changing conditions through an automated email system. Win-win!

Offering market reports and a portal quality search experience can turn your site into a resource leads return to again and again, a true must have for cutting edge real estate websites. Agents and brokers looking to replicate the popular search portals of Zillow and Redfin can finally offer a comparable experience on their own sites and reap ALL the benefits.

Want to learn more about all our IDX solution options? Maybe your shopping for a new lead generating real estate website where the IDX is integrated for you?
Contact us for a free consultation at (888) 577-8027 ext. 1 for sales.
Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm PST.

Get Started with Eureka!
Interested in learning more?
Do you have iHomefinder already and want to make the switch to Eureka IDX?
Reach out to us today and we will be happy to help.

Need a powerful new website combined with the best IDX solution for your needs?
Having a powerful real estate website that you own, has become an invaluable tool for REALTORs®. It’s an engaging way to generate new leads and connect with today’s clients who expect their REALTOR® to be marketing online. With our WordPress real estate websites, hand-designed by our talented designers, you can leave the creative design work to us. Our great support staff will help train you so your new site up and running smoothly.

Having served over 3,000 REALTORS®, we have a solid understanding of real estate website design, IDX sales and integration. We would love to show you what we can do for you.

Contact us for a free consultation at (888) 577-8027 ext. 1 for sales.
Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm PST.

Looking for a great way to showcase your local market while simultaneously driving traffic to your real estate website? Neighborhood profile pages are the Ace up your sleeve.

Why Write Neighborhood Profiles?
Neighborhood profile pages are an excellent lead generator that will build your credibility and reveal you as a market leader who truly knows the area. Stocked with pertinent information, these pages educate buyers and website visitors. The result is an increase in target website traffic and an SEO boost for targeted areas. (View our Neighborhood Profile Add-on built for WordPress). Neighborhood profile pages are a cache of real estate specific information to enhance your site overall. And, after all is said and done, the ultimate goal is that the client is connected with you!

Create a List of Neighborhoods
You can begin the process by focusing on the neighborhoods and communities that you know best. Your personal expertise makes them easy to write about, allowing the overall process to seem less daunting in the beginning and easier to take on. Here is how to get started:

Compile a list of communities, starting with the most important.

Tackle the first three to six and post them on your site as soon as possible.

Add a new profile every two weeks, giving the search engines new content to index.

Concentrate on popular neighborhoods that have a lot of real estate activity.

Keep in mind that your competitors will be focusing on the same neighborhoods, so make yours stand out with more valuable information and insight. It will be worth the extra time.

Real Estate Key Words
SEO web crawlers are always on the prowl for popular keyword phrases. Get your neighborhood profiles to the top of search results by utilizing key words and phrases that online visitors will use to find homes for sale. For example, a neighborhood profile featuring Roseville would interweave a few of the following phrases into the content: Roseville Homes for Sale, Roseville Real Estate, Homes for Sale in Roseville, Roseville Luxury Homes, Roseville Estates, Roseville Horse Property, etc.

Try to stick to two or three key word phrases, using them in the title, body copy, description and meta tags. Keep it natural and avoid overloading the profile with too many key words or the search engines will have difficulty figuring out what the page is really about.

A good SEO practice is to interlink your neighborhood profiles using the key words as the hyperlink. For example if you have a profile page about Roseville you can introduce and link to another profile page on your site like this:
“Many people also consider Granite Bay homes for sale since the community boarders Roseville on the east.” (Hyperlink Granite Bay homes for sale to your Granite Bay neighborhood profile page) Check out our two blog posts Link Building 101 – A How To Guide and Resources to Link Building Tips and SEO Best Practices for more ideas.

Topics to Cover
Do your homework and offer a wide range of information in your profiles. The most important topics to cover include the following:

Demographics – Look to your local government office for unemployment figures, population, the seasonal climate and so on, or better yet, look for websites online that offer demographic information.

Market Statistics – These can be presented as a brief paragraph summary, a link to a PDF document, or a visual graph. Better yet, try Marketboost which offers detailed, up-to-date market reports and the ability to email updated reports to your clients directly. A great drip marketing tool! View MarketBoost in action.

Testimonials – Ask the people who live in the area what they love about it! Add a photo to give it a personal touch.

These bullet points can each be used as an individual paragraph, helping to form the framework of your profile and giving it a sense of focus and continuity. Do your best and remember that you can always come back and beef up the information at a later date. We advise that you review the neighborhood profiles at least once a year to update stats, add new insights and freshen up the content.

Extra Content
Be sure to include links to other pertinent content on your real estate website. Here are a few great landing pages that can be used to create a web of links:

If you don’t already have pages for the preceding bullet points, create them! Check out 10 Tips to Writing a Successful Real Estate Blog Post for ideas for your own blog. You can also brainstorm a list of questions that you are repeatedly asked about your local area and be sure to answer them in your neighborhood profiles.

Create Photo Galleries and Videos
It is worth your time to use stunning photos on your neighborhood profile pages. Build a nice gallery of images for each neighborhood by including local parks, shopping centers, entrance signs, historic buildings, museums, the University, biking and walking paths, trees, rivers, and lakes. Also use images of people engaging in popular activities to give visitor’s a visual of what they could potentially do.

If you have the funds, hire a reasonable photographer to spend the day taking pictures for you and see if you can negotiate a flat rate for all their photos. If you live in a popular area you might find stock photography you can purchase at a good price, which saves you time while you get professional images. We offer an extensive list of High Quality and Free Stock Photography that might get you jumpstarted. If your budget is tight, take your own photos using a good camera, just be sure to take several photos of the same subject so you have a few to choose from. Get creative and see what you come up with.

Videos are another engaging tool (Read our post on The Power of Marketing with Real Estate Video). You can create short videos of each community or one video that covers several areas. Nowadays it is easier than ever to find video production talent that can create short videos with voiceover or music. The production prices are lower than you might expect and the benefits of using a video can go a long way. If you want to do it on your own and keep it simple we suggest Animoto – Real Estate Video Marketing, which allows the user to create a slideshow of photos and short movie clips put to music.

Showcase Listings
People want to see listings, so give them what they want! Many IDX solutions offer the ability to display listings in a specific area or community right on your neighborhood profile pages. This visual candy will entice visitors to stay on your site and look around at other neighborhoods. IDX featured listing widgets are dynamically updated so you do not have to do any of the leg work.

Calls to Action
Neighborhood profiles should always end with a call to action to get visitors to engage with you. Here are some suggestions that will start the ball rolling:

Sign up for New Listing Notifications (provide a simple link to your IDX sign-up form).

Offer a relocation guide or ebook download. Branded material that will keep your name in front of them.

End with a contact form (set an appointment to take a tour or ask a question).

Ending each profile with a call to action is an easy way to wrap up a solid neighborhood profile.

Helpful Tips
There are many Internet resources with informative tidbits about each area you plan to feature. Here are a few ideas:

See what your competitors are writing to get ideas (but don’t plagiarize!).

Check your local board for stats, demographics, maps, graphs, etc.

Wikipedia is a good source for historical info, demographics and subjects you might never have known.

Local city and state park websites offer recreational ideas, trails, and maps.

Browse your state’s official tourism website for information on popular attractions, maps and possible media photo gallery you can get permission to use.

If you still need additional content, try online restaurant and business reviews, such as Restaurant.com or Yelp.

Your local government office will give you unemployment figures, population, seasonal climate, and so on.

Neighborhood Profile ExamplesCheck out these successful real estate agents who are well on their way establishing themselves as neighborhood experts in their area:Leonardi Real Estate offers informative insight, notable links, area photos, current listings and call to action to contact them.Luxury Specialist Greg Boyle elegantly combines informative descriptions, keyword links, MarketBoost market information, great photography and current listings.Nicole Truszkowski’s neighborhood profiles offer in depth information with comments about the area real estate, market reports, lifestyle videos, current listings link, area map and more.The Souers Teams combines great description, photography and market reports as well as current listings for sale.

As you write your neighborhood profiles, you will discover that some neighborhoods will have a wealth of information, while others will be sparse. When this happens, just hunt around on the Internet and you will be surprised at what you might find. Happy writing!

Are you trying to add an IDX Solution to Weebly, Wix, SquareSpace, Adobe Muse or a similar drag-n-drop website builder platform? If so, you have work ahead of you with little guarantee as to how well the IDX search and accompanying widgets will function. While these platforms are great for basic content like text and photos, an IDX Solution is more dynamic and requires additional technical expertise to integrate optimally. This is the main reason you don’t see many drag-n-drop websites working successfully with IDX. With our 20 years of direct IDX integration experience we find WordPress to be the #1 platform that works seamlessly with IDX.

But if you’re still set on using IDX on Weebly or SquareSpace, Wix, Adobe Muse, etc it can still be added, but you may need the assistance of an experienced developer, such as us, that is familiar with the nuances of IDX broker reciprocity and real estate websites.

Weebly, Wix, SquareSpace, and Adobe Muse Playing Nice with IDX
IDX Integration is possible, but you might find you’ll need a seasoned developer to assist with setting up a branded IDX page template. Moineau Design, IDXCentral.com, has been working with IDX since we developed one of the first solutions in 2000, so we know our stuff! Typically we use branded integration, which entails taking a copy of a page of your site and rewriting the code so the IDX Solution can be added without the use of an iframe – this is called branded integration and is the preferred method.

We can also assist you with setting up a custom subdomain – this allows your IDX to be indexed by search engines, and therefore improves your search engine optimization (SEO) and organic ranking. Thus Adobe Muse with IDX can work, but the setup is neither easy nor quick. This also applies to Weebly with IDX and SquareSpace with IDX, and pretty much every drag-n-drop website builder platform out there. So what if your website isn’t a good candidate for branded integration? Then you probably need an iframe.

Working with iFrames
What’s an iframe anyway, and why shouldn’t you use one? Simply put, iframe’s allow you to display a different website visually on your site, imagine it like a “window” to another site, in this case the other site is the IDX. The iframe has a fixed width and height which can look great sometimes, but depending on what’s being displayed within the iframe, there can be an internal scroll bar OR tons of extra white space. For an example, think of listing results – some search results return hundreds of results, while other more refined searches may only return a handful. One iframe can’t fit every size, and that’s why you end up with an internal scroll bar if the iframe is not tall enough to display all the results, or extra white space if there are not enough results to fill the iframe. Also, iframe integration does not support custom subdomains, and therefore your IDX pages cannot be indexed by search engines – this is a major disadvantage to using an iframe especially if you want to try to rank your site in search engines.

Other IDX features and widgets, like a quick search, map search, showcase gallery, etc. may need some custom coding and adjustments in order to work properly as well – contact us for a quote if you need assistance setting up these IDX features.

Does this seem really complicated yet? It can be! And it’s why we recommend you skip the hassle and work with developers that have years of hands-on IDX integration experience already. It’s why we’re here, it’s what we specialize in, and it’s what you need. REALTORS® need websites that load fast, work 100% responsively across every screen size and every device, and include an IDX that functions smoothly. If your IDX doesn’t work correctly, homebuyers will leave your site and never look back!

Rethink Your Gameplan – Consider the Power of WordPress
If you plan on climbing the ranks of Google, you may want to rethink your choice of using a drag-n-drop website builder platform since iframes hinder this process. We suggest WordPress which powers 30% of the internet worldwide! Now that’s saying a lot. Thousands of great WordPress plugins are developed each year and it’s the preferred platform for people who want to build, maintain, tweak and grow with their website. Here at Moineau Design, IDXCentral.com, all our real estate websites are built on WordPress and easily integrate and “play nice” with IDX. We help you through the WordPress real estate design process, offer IDX sales, IDX integration, site building, great training and support. Call (888) 577-8027 to learn more or email us.

Our WordPress real estate websites are designed with clean, custom written code that is guaranteed to work perfectly with our preferred IDX Solutions, iHomefinder IDX and IDX Broker IDX. We do the tedious work so your site stands out and takes full advantage of all the IDX features you desire. If you’re done struggling to put IDX on a website built with Weebly, SquareSpace, or Wix and are ready to try the worlds leading website builder platform WordPress then contact us – we have prices and plans for all budgets available.

Contact us today! Take advantage of our 20+ years of website design knowledge and get a truly unique design that will set you apart from all the rest.Call (888) 577-8027

Last year, Google announced a major upcoming change to its website search index: Mobile-First Indexing. According to Google, “most people” today are searching from mobile devices. As of March 2018, Google began rolling out their mobile-first indexing. Is your website and IDX solution mobile-friendly and fully responsive?

“Mobile-first indexing means that we’ll use the mobile version of the page for indexing and ranking, to better help our – primarily mobile – users find what they’re looking for.”

This is a very significant change. It is now more important than ever to review your web strategy and ensure that you have a properly designed mobile/responsive site. The last thing you want are valuable leads that reach your site and move on because the experience is sub-par.

Why is a responsive website critical to your business?

Google prioritizes mobile-friendly website content. Need we say more?

Still not convinced? Really?
OK, here are some more reasons you can’t ignore:

Clients won’t find your site – see #1 above.

More people access the web via mobile devices than on a traditional desktop.

Websites must look great and function well on any device or they won’t rank well.

Clients that do find you, but have a bad experience will leave and move on.

What’s the Bottom Line?
Without an effective mobile website strategy you will lose business.

Ready to go Mobile Responsive?
If you already have a responsive real estate website, Google’s mobile-first indexing won’t affect your ranking. But if you haven’t made the switch, it’s important to act now. Here at Moineau Design, IDXCentral.com, we have over 20+ years experience architecting and designing real estate sites with IDX that are Google friendly. If you would like help reviewing your mobile business strategy to take advantage of Google’s new changes, please contact us.

As a REALTOR®, imagine for a moment the experience of a potential buyer shopping for a home online. In nearly every market, there are dozens of sites offering listings and local information; what would make a particular real estate website stand out to you, and what useful features would it offer? Obviously, you’d want a site that looks sharp and loads quickly on any device, provides the most up to date listing information, offers new listing email notifications to keep you informed, helpful neighborhood information, current market reports and is intuitively designed with ease of use in mind. We feel our WordPress real estate websites deliver on all counts, and our recent redesign of our classic Seattle theme is no exception. Clean, modern and fully mobile responsive our new Seattle WordPress real estate theme will make out against the competition.

Appearance & Structure:Several years ago, we designed our original Seattle WordPress theme with a number of considerations in mind: flexibility, mobile responsivity, and a smart-looking and polished design. It was an immediate hit with new and existing clients looking to upgrade, and over the years its understated elegance and ease of customization have made it a consistent favorite among large brokerages and enterprising agents alike.

Since then, we’ve been hard at work developing a variety of WordPress real estate websites to suit a broad range of enhanced features and brand identities. However, there’s a definite timeless appeal to the less-is-more approach of our Seattle theme, which deftly makes use of white space to effortlessly guide potential clients’ eyes to call-to-action buttons and important site content. To this end, we’ve revamped our Seattle theme with a few modifications to add a few touches of modern visual flair, while keeping its streamlined simplicity intact.

Responsive Design:When making a first impression, you want your site to shine on any platform your client base happens to be using at the time, whether they’re viewing it on a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or phone. All of our sites are designed with a rigorous attention to detail to ensure that all of your site’s content and features function as well as they look, regardless of screen size.

Essential Plugins and Features:Our Seattle theme is bundled with a wide range of useful features to help you easily maintain the day-to-day operations of your site, enhance user experience, and gain visibility online.

Responsive IDX integration allows your site to display MLS listings and gives your site visitors the ability to search for properties–and gives you the means you need to attract, convert and manage new leads.

Our real estate add-ons (a $900 value) provide you with powerful and easy-to-use tools to stylishly showcase all of your listings, local neighborhoods, client testimonials and the members of your team.

So you don’t have to, we cover the licensing cost (and renewal fees) of a host of essential WordPress plugins, such as Gravity Forms, MapPress Premium, Revolution Slider and many more. Learn more about what Premium Plugins are included with our websites.

Support & Training:If you’re new to owning your own real estate website, or just don’t consider yourself particularly tech-savvy, don’t fret! We provide free training with our sites to ensure that you feel comfortable managing your site’s content. And if you’d prefer to leave the maintenance and more ambitious customizations to the professionals, we’re happy to offer our services in this regard as well. It’s our firm belief that successful clients are satisfied clients–and we’d love the opportunity to help you get there.

How To Get the Site You Love!
Start attracting and cultivating new leads on a site you own and LOVE! Give us a call or send us an email and our sales representative will be in touch with the answers to your questions about the Seattle WordPress theme, our IDX sales and all of our great website options. Whether you know exactly what you want or need to spend some time researching and reviewing your goals, our team is eager to help! We can make recommendations and answer your questions whenever you’re ready.

Contact us today! Take advantage of our 20+ years of website design knowledge and get a truly unique design that will set you apart from all the rest.Call (888) 577-8027

Are you in a highly competitive real estate market? If so, hundreds or thousands of REALTORS® can be competing for the same listings, so whether you’re just starting out or have a website presence already, you need to stand out! The La Jolla real estate website design includes all the functionality needed in a real estate WordPress theme, and more! This incredibly unique and polished design will show the world you’re not just another agent. Perfect for real estate boutiques, single agents or teams, this imaginative theme will show off your creative side with its bold imagery and artistic design. The La Jolla theme is predicted to be one of the best real estate website designs of 2018!

Appearance & Structure:
Opening with three large rotating banner photos, the La Jolla catches your attention immediately. Leads looking to start their home search right away can easily do so via the homepage search, or browse the navigation bar for more options. Four customizable call to action buttons direct leads to the most important areas of the site (great for lead capture!) while maintaining a user-friendly experience. Beneath the buttons is a captivating agent profile area, perfect for introducing leads to your services. This area stands out from your typical real estate WordPress theme, the watercolor filter used here gives it a unique, artistic touch. Testimonials and ample branding wrap up the website, creating a polished and imaginative theme.

Responsive Design:
The structure is fluid regardless of how you’re viewing the site (desktop, tablet, mobile) and is fully responsive. View the La Jolla theme on your phone and you’ll instantly see how easy it is to navigate. Need something custom? We’ll make sure it looks amazing on every screensize!

Essential Plugins and Features:
The design and front-end functionality of a theme is only the beginning when it comes to designing WordPress real estate websites. You need a way to easily manage and update content and with our semi-custom sites like the La Jolla, we have you covered! All of our sites come with our original WordPress real estate add-ons, including an Agent Roster, Testimonials, Featured Listings, and Neighborhood Profile pages. With built in photo galleries and stunning internal side bars (with customizable call to action buttons), you’ll want to utilize your website to the fullest extent and routinely add content for search engine optimization. We also include a number of premium plugins, and you can expand on that by adding your own!

IDX Integration:
Are you looking for a choice of stunning WordPress real estate themes with the IDX solution integrated right in? We have you covered. The La Jolla demo features iHomefinder Optima IDX which is just one of two IDX solutions you can choose from. We also offer IDX Broker’s great Lite or Platinum IDX solutions. Regardless of your IDX preference, the theme will include branded integration with hand-crafted IDX layouts refined to offer a seamless and professional search experience for leads, and a strong lead management system for REALTORS®. We can help you decide which IDX will be better for your site and make a recommendation.

With MarketBoost your IDX can be more than just a search on your site. MarketBoost beats Zillow with the latest sold data your clients seek and offer for your clients to sign up for automated market reports. Another great drip market feature built into your IDX. Contact us to learn more.

All websites include live training for groups and individuals, rest easy knowing you’ll be supported along the way and we’ll be here to help you succeed. We offer WordPress Care Plans to help you choose the right level of service for your site, and our support team is available via email and phone. Our customer service is top-notch and your website is more than just a business card, it’s an investment and an important tool we can help you utilize!

How Can You Get the La Jolla Theme?
Give us a call or send us an email and our sales representative will be in touch with the answers to your questions about the La Jolla and all of our website options. Whether you know exactly what you want or need to spend some time researching and reviewing your goals, our team is eager to help! We can make recommendations and answer your questions whenever you’re ready.

In this article, you’ll discover over 25 of the best real estate website features that set apart the best from the average REALTOR® website.

Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.
— JERRY RICE

What’s the point in using a REALTOR® website that looks nice, but lacks the essential tools and features that can take your website from looking good to doing GREAT? While some of these features may seem obvious, there are several platforms marketed toward REALTORS® which amount to a visual business card and not much else. A great website means starting with the must-have tools in your website tool box and exploiting them to generate and capture new leads.

These fundamental tools will give you the competitive edge in your market area to stand out from the rest! Your website is more than just a home on the web to hang your headshot, it’s the marketing platform you control. You can freely create, inform, announce, develop, and build on as an extension of you, your business, your brand, and your position as the local expert in real estate. Join us as we review these 27 essential must-have real estate website features:

Professional Mobile Responsive Design – Invest in a professional website that is mobile responsive and caters to over 65% of visitors surfing on a mobile device – don’t lose them right off the get-go. Google has indicated a growing preference for responsive web design. Read Why Switch to a Responsive Real Estate Website to learn more. Here at Moineau Design, IDXCentral.com, we have served over 3,000 real estate professionals and have a solid understanding of what it takes to develop a top-performing website.

A Website You Own – Invest in a professional website that YOU OWN so that all your time, money and SEO success stays with you. As you grow, it grows. Many agents lease a company site or purchase a proprietary, developer owned website only to find they are forced to leave it all behind when their situation takes a new turn, whether it be a change in office or a great cost increase with their existing site. Our real estate websites are built on the popular and easy to use WordPress platform that rank in search engines, and allow you to maintain ownership.

Advanced IDX (What is IDX?) – Not all IDX solutions are the same. You want a powerful IDX solution buyers prefer with must have features like Indexable Listings for SEO, Advanced Search Fields, Quick Search, Map Search, Detailed Listing Information, Sold Data, New Listing Email Notifications, Market Reports, Featured Listings, and Forced and/or Opt in Registration options, to name a few.

Google Analytics – Analyze your visitors behavior with a free Google Analytics account. View organic referrals and paid ads to see where your efforts are paying off. View our article on How to Set Up a Google Analytics Account.

Fast Loading – Make sure your site loads quickly so the search engines don’t ding you, and your audience won’t leave before it loads. We host sites on fast–not overtaxed–servers. If fast is your focus, let us show you how it’s done right.

SEO Tools – You want a site that offers the tools to optimize your site for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). If your goal is to rank well in search engines, learn some basic SEO tips to get started, or hire a professional. We recommend Yoast SEO for great online SEO information and preinstall this #1 WordPress SEO plugin with our semi-custom and custom real estate websites. We also include Yoast’s premium plugins: Video SEO for WordPress, Local SEO for WordPress (a $138 value).

Virtual Tours – Create a virtual tour of your listing for use on your featured listing page, on social media and your YouTube channel. Showcase your marketing skills and put the spotlight on your exclusive listings.

Stunning Agent Roster – Showcase agents with an easy-to-manage agent roster. Let each agent stand out and at the same time create more content rich pages for SEO ranking.

Mixed Media – Add mixed media, such as real estate videos, ebooks, PDF literature, infographics and blog posts that appeal to a variety of audience members (some people are more visual, while others would prefer to read, etc.).

Calls to Action – Utilize a sidebar with “call-to-action” buttons that can capture a lead on any page of your site i.e. What’s My Home Worth?, New Listing Notifications, Relocation Guide, Buyer Tips, etc. Calls-to-action also are great for your home page to direct the visitor.

Raving Testimonials – Promote choice testimonials on the site either in a sidebar, home page and/or a full testimonial page.

Landing or Squeeze Pages – Offer a landing page created to capture opt-in email address (a “squeeze page”) in order to build your list of leads.

The Right URL – Purchase a keyword-rich domain name relevant to your local market or a URL that helps brand you – something simple and easy to spell. You can research find names at Instant Domain Search or GoDaddy.com.

Getting Social – Add social media buttons using the appropriate icons and encourage leads to follow you. Post these to media outlets to engage and show you’re a whiz with online marketing techniques.

Easy to Reach – Ensure your contact information is visible on every page.

Educate via Resources – Educate your visitors with a comprehensive online resources section to cover local schools, popular community organizations and local resources.

Set a High Standard – Go the extra mile and learn to manage your website so it becomes second nature – your site is your BEST marketing tool. WordPress real estate websites are easy to maintain and by far a preferred industry-leading product.

Need a powerful new website and IDX solution?
Having a powerful real estate website that you own, has become an invaluable tool for REALTORs®. It’s an engaging way to generate new leads and connect with today’s clients who expect their REALTOR® to be marketing online. With our WordPress real estate websites, hand-designed by our talented designers, you can leave the creative design work to us. Our great support staff will help train you so your new site up and running smoothly.

Having served over 3,000 REALTORS®, we have a solid understanding of real estate website design, IDX sales and integration. We would love to show you what we can do for you.